Twin Lakes Beach, Manitoba

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Twin Lakes Beach (French: Plage Twin Lakes),^[1] also known locally by many as simply Twin Beaches, is a beach and community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. On Lake Manitoba, it is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg.^[2] Twin Lakes Beach is in both the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent (French: la Municipalité Rurale de Saint-Laurent) and the Rural Municipality of Woodlands, and it is in the town of St. Laurent.

On a natural isthmus dividing Lake Francis and Lake Manitoba, Twin Lakes Beach was formed by the natural process of sand accumulating between the two bodies of water over a period of years of being transferred from the bank of one lake to the bank of another lake by wind and water. The sand then continued to build up and eventually formed a sand dune. Plants can strive on the natural dune because after a storm occurs on the lake, the water levels increase, washing dead seaweed and other organic matter, onto the sand. After many years of decomposition, the compost turns to soil and acts as a fertilizer for local plant life. As a result, grass, plants, and wildlife are now to the area. The water, however, continuously laps the shore, due to moving air and currents, leaving a section of the dune eroded where sand remains, forming a beach.

Lake Francis is a relatively small lake, with a high percentage of water area being marsh and wetlands. Lake Manitoba, however, is Manitoba's third-largest lake and can be described as a long, wide, but shallow hyposaline lake, which does not support a wetland ecosystem but is home to many species of fish and waterfowl which dwell in the area. Lake Manitoba boasts a high number of cottage dwellings and sandy beaches, mainly occupied in the summer months. The area around Twin Lakes Beach and St. Laurent is composed of reasonably-fertile land, which is suitable for crops. The land that is not as fertile is used for pastures, grasslands, or land to be surveyed into future private properties. There are also an abundance of trees and forests around the area.

The earliest records of civilization (of course long after Aboriginal peoples inhabited Manitoba, prior to dated history) around the Twin Lakes Beach and St. Laurent area began in the early 19th century, when the McKay family, of Metis descent, were one of the first families to settle in St. Laurent, on the shores of Lake Manitoba. The family found all the resources that they found important to them - fishing, hunting, and agriculture. The community grew, attracting new immigrants to the province who were looking for an affordable, resourceful way of life.

The history of Twin Lakes Beach as a recreational area began around 1911 when Meindl built a hunting lodge, as hunting was the primary activity of the beach at the time.^{[3][clarification needed]} The lodge and others over time were used in the summer for fishing and holidays as well. About six or seven other medical doctors also used the area for hunting including Howden and Lambert.^{[clarification needed]} Over time Howden and Meindl acquired the land that comprises most of the present day beach from a local farmer with Howden acquiring over one mile of land in the Rural Municipality of Woodlands while Meindl acquired approximately 3 miles of land in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent.^[3] It was after this time that the land was subdivided and many people began to purchase lakefront properties in the area initially mainly for summer homes and cottages, but also for permanent residences later on. Meindl donated 580 feet of beach front land for the local Metis people of St. Laurent for recreational use, which later became Meindl Park (French: Parc Meindl), named in his honour.^[4] Prior to the flooding of 2011, the highest recorded water level on Lake Manitoba was during the summer of 1955 when the water level gauge at nearby Delta Beach recorded 816.32 feet above sea level, although the readings were subject to wind setup due to the long fetch length of the lake to the north.^[5] During this year some residents were forced to boat to their properties as the road was underwater.

The desire to purchase a beachfront property has drastically increased even in the past decade, spiking the interests of many Manitoban citizens, and attracting them to the province's beautiful beaches and lakes. Cottage living has become popular amongst people who are retiring, wanting to enjoy outdoor leisure, or people wanting to enjoy the peaceful, yet exciting aspect of the beach or the lake, escaping the everyday buzz of urban living. The permanent population of Twin Lakes Beach is less than 50 residents year round but the population swells to over 1000 people at times during the summer as there are over 300 properties.^[5]

Twin Lakes Beach is one of the cleanest and best-preserved beaches in the province, not recognized by many people of Manitoba. Some cottage owners from Winnipeg and parts of the Interlake are familiar with the beach, however. The beach is located approximately one hour north of Winnipeg on Provincial Hwy 6, just a few kilometers off the highway.

The fact that the beach is actually located inside two rural municipalities (Rural Municipality of Woodlands and the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent), makes it difficult to understand the different by-laws issued within the lakefront community. Twin Beach Road, the main thoroughfare running to the community, splits in two directions near the lake, with one end heading north to the North section of the beach as Twin Lakes Beach Road North, with the other end continuing south through the main section of the beach as Twin Lakes Beach Road South. It also runs past MacKenzie Bay North and MacKenzie Bay South, which are two residential streets branching off of the main road. Sunshine operated a store from 1969 until closing in fall of 2003. A boat launch is now available where the store was once located.^[6]

The Twin Lakes Beach Association was formed and founded in 1955, the same year as the flooding, to discuss current issues and problems in and around the beach as well as provide representation of the cottagers in the Rural Municipalities of Woodlands and St. Laurent to discuss local issues well as representation at the provincial level to discuss issues such as the lake level.^[7]

Twin Lakes Beach was once a wide beach, wide enough in fact that cars and off-road vehicles were able to drive on it prompting the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent to pass a by-law in 1987 prohibiting the operation of off-road vehicle on the beaches within the municipality from May 1 to October 15.^[8] In more recent years the width of the beach has been reduced in many areas due to a number of factors. According to some residents they have lost as much as 100 feet (30 m) of beach and property combined.^[9] One factor is that Manitoba is currently experiencing a wet cycle which is causing lakes all across the province to experience high levels, such as the nearby Shoal Lakes which have now become a single lake. There is also the fact that many cottagers have not allowed the natural vegetation to grow which traps the sand. The regulation of Lake Manitoba may also be a factor. The lake is to be regulated between 810.5–812.5 ft (247.0–247.7 m) above sea level.^[10] This involves holding up water at the Fairford Dam in times of low water. While this may benefit some industries and cottagers, in places like Twin Lakes Beach it does not allow the sand to build up dunes around vegetation as it would in a drought. Also, in times of high water on the Assiniboine River, the Portage Diversion is opened normally diverting up to 25,000 cu ft/s (710 m³/s), which is the designed channel capacity, of water into the lake that would otherwise be directed towards Winnipeg and the Red River. This has in the past resulted in an increase in lake levels in which the most evident case was during the 1976 flood on the Assiniboine River (1,420,000 acre-feet (1.75 km³) of water diverted, 1.22 feet (0.37 m) direct rise in water levels).^[10] This was passed in terms of volume of water in 2011 as the Portage Diversion took on up to 34,804 cu ft/s (985.5 m³/s) in a desperate attempt to prevent major flooding downstream. Also in 2011, the duration of use of the Portage Diversion was longer than ever before in as it was in operation from April 6 to August 5 running for a total of 122 days due to continued precipitation in the spring and into the summer.^[11][12][13]

After closing on August 5, just under 4,700,000 acre-feet (5.8 km³) (4.1 feet (1.2 m) rise) of water was directed toward Lake Manitoba rather than Winnipeg and the Red River, this number being more than three times the volume of the 1976 flood.^[13] After considering the fact that without the existence of the Portage Diversion, some water would flow into Lake Manitoba near Delta Beach through oxbow lakes and channels which were at one time the original channels of the Assiniboine River when it flowed to Lake Manitoba naturally around 2000 years ago, it is estimated that the Portage Diversion contributed to at least 3 feet (0.91 m) of a rise in water levels on Lake Manitoba, accounting for most of the rise of the lake.^[14] The volume of water diverted through the Portage Diversion in 2011 dwarfs the annual normal contributions of the two major tributaries of Lake Manitoba as the Waterhen and Whitemud Rivers contribute 1,900,000 acre-feet (2.3 km³) and 149,000 acre-feet (184,000,000 m³) respectively on average to the lake, although the contributions of these two rivers are higher in 2011 as there has been above average precipitation in the watersheds of Lake Manitoba's major tributaries.^[5] Even when average precipitation of about 1,800,000 acre-feet (2.2 km³) and average local flows of about 108,000 acre-feet (133,000,000 m³) are added to inflows, the expected total normal inflows would still be less than the roughly 4,700,000 acre-feet (5.8 km³) that the Portage Diversion contributed by the end of the flood season in 2011 when it ceased operation on August 5.^{[5][13][14][15]}

Twin Lakes Beach has been the recipient of many storms causing shoreline erosion, flooding and property damage. Most notably are the storms of the fall of 1999, especially the storm on November 1 [1], as well as the fall of 2010 [2] "weather bomb" both of which involved wind gusts of over 100 km/h and high winds for an extended period of time with the result being a shift in the lake of water from the north basin of Lake Manitoba to the south basin of the lake and large waves. Both storms resulted in considerable shoreline erosion, property damage, and some flooding. The 1999 storm caused an estimated $1 million in damage and was a catalyst for establishing new regulation of lake levels.^[5] Also in 1981 and 1992 cottages were destroyed as a result of shoreline ice pile-up. On July 29, 2012 a thunderstorm occurred at Twin Lakes Beach causing widespread damage to property including complete destruction of homes due to heavy rain, hail, and plow winds with gusts up to 150 km/h recorded on radar.^[16][17]